, (PRNewsExpress) December 6, 2008 —

St. Petersburg, Fl. (Aug. 28, 2008) – Just weeks after participating in a real estate deal that shattered the previous record high sales price for residential property sold in Pinellas County, Ray J. Alexander of Tampa has been instrumental in the sale of a second Pinellas County estate for nearly $2 million.

The property sold by Alexander is the historic C. Perry Snell St. Petersburg estate located along the picturesque North Shore area of Old Tampa Bay at 1724 North Shore Dr. NE. A stunning waterfront estate built in 1918 by Snell, the developer of Snell Isle, it was modeled after Groote Schuur, the official residence of the Prime Minister of South Africa. The 9,650-square-foot historic home includes a dock and boat slip, separate guest quarters, swimming pool, a spacious master suite with a private massage room and more.

The mansion, which sold for almost $1.9 million, had been on the market for just over three months and was acquired by an investment group.

Alexander, a well established West Coast realtor/broker with Engel & Voelkers Florida, was also the listing agent for another local landmark home sold earlier this summer. He, along with cooperating agents, helped negotiate the $10.25-million sale price of the nearly 13,000-square-foot Belleair Bluffs mansion. That June transaction shattered Pinellas County’s previous record high price of $7.8 million that was established in 2001.

“Due to my confidentiality agreement with the principals involved in this transaction, I’m not able to share specific aspects of the deal. I can disclose that the buyers fully appreciate the historic significance of this property. In fact, I believe it is their intention to restore and even enhance the historic presence of this magnificent estate and return it to its former glory,” said Alexander.

“As a global realtor with Engel & Voelkers, I have the opportunity to handle unique properties such as the C. Perry Snell estate. I am very excited to see an uptick in sales activity and am also encouraged that the market remains somewhat robust as evidenced by the local and global interest expressed in the lifestyle that the Tampa/St. Petersburg area has to offer,” he added.

A real estate professional for more than 25 years, Alexander recently joined the global Engel & Voelkers real estate network when he acquired the licensee rights to the Engel & Voelkers property shop serving the Gulf Coast’s Anna Maria Island, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton and Longboat Key areas. He also will share ownership of an Engel & Voelkers franchise that will be located in Tampa’s West Shore area with Michal Winiarek. Winiarek introduced the Engel & Voelkers brand to the Tampa Bay area by opening the area’s first signature property shop in Hyde Park Village late last year.

Pinellas County will welcome its first Engel & Voelkers property shop within the next few weeks when the doors are expected to open by late September. That franchise is owned by Tampa residents Kevin and Sara Maddocks and will be centrally located in downtown St. Petersburg. The 1,000-square-foot site is part of the BayWalk retail, restaurant and entertainment complex, and is currently undergoing renovations to convert the former boutique space into the signature color scheme and spacious design incorporated into Engel & Voelkers property shops worldwide.

Maddy Krasne, along with Kevin and Sara Maddocks, earlier this summer announced plans to open the first property shop located along that West Coast community’s world famous beachfront. Krasne, a realtor/broker and Tampa resident, previously helped to launch the statewide franchise development for Engel & Voelkers Florida. Managing broker Diane Gaffney of St. Petersburg currently joined Krasne and Mr. and Mrs. Maddocks earlier this year to list residential properties along the West Coast and assist potential buyers and investors who are seeking homes or condominiums .

While relatively new to the U.S., the Engel & Voelkers global real estate network has represented unique, upscale residential properties worldwide for more than 30 years. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, the worldwide firm enables brokers, buyers, sellers and agents to access luxury home listings available at nearly 400 property shops found on five continents.

For more information about the Tampa Bay Engel & Voelkers listings, property shop locations or to contact a real estate professional, visit www.engelvoelkers.com/florida/ or call 1-888-EV TAMPA (1-888-388-2672).